Walking my new puppy the other day, everyone asks about her because she's a cute puppy. One guy in particular asked what she was and how old she is. I told him but it seemed a little suspicious that he didn't pet her, just asked about her. She's a pure breed cocker spaniel. That was last night and today coming home in the car we see the guy in a white van with a few friends pull up around the corner to our house. We go inside but then my boyfriend goes out to see if they are still there and they drive off. I don't let my puppy out on her own and she is micro chipped but is there anything else I can do to deter puppy nappers?
Thanks

Other than not leaving her in your garden unattended, don't have one of those cutesy signs outside saying "I live here" with a picture of an attractive dog. That's just asking for trouble.

Just get as much info as possible, if you see them again. Number plates, description, take a picture with your phone etc.
Jeff.

Get a tag for her collar that says "Microchipped & Neutered" if anyone asks she's a rescue from the RSPCA & was neutered by them before you got her(the RSPCA do neuter bitches from 10 weeks onwards).

I have a sign on my gate that states"All dogs on these premises are tattooed for identifications"& another that states "All dogs on these premises are microchipped for identity purposes"

I never tell people the breed I usually say a collie cross even though they are bearded collies or heinz 57 and make a joke !

Under the circumstances I would not go out alone and if someone pulls up and looks as if they want directions keep on walking one of the tricks is to distract you while someone else jumps out of the vehicle and grabs the dog.
Another is to stop you in the park to chat and they tend to use a woman for this as it makes you feel safer while the other person calls you dog or grabs it and does a runner so beware and trust no one!

I also agree that the garden is  common place for dog napping , lock your gates have lights that have a passive infra red that detect movement outside now that the nights are nearly in ...they should be safe in thier own gardens but unfortunately they are not this day and age.

If you are really concerned about this van I would have a chat with the local police they may have had other complaints.

> I never tell people the breed I usually say a collie cross even though they are bearded collies or heinz 57 and make a joke !
>

Actually, apart from real dog people, I'm surprised how many folk don't actually know the Beardie!   In the waiting room at the vets, I've had people ask what sort of collie cross mine are.  So you're lucky starryeyes - people will believe your lies!   :-)  :-)  :-)

But your nose might grow like Pinocchio's!!!!

about 2yrs ago i was followed a few times by two teenage girls from the ......... community, always asking if they could stroke the dogs and asking if they were 'pure pedigrees' which i said ''golly no, they are crosses''. i was a bit suspect at first but they were actually very polite and even told me about their own dogs.
this went on every other day for 2wks, anyway i was upstairs ironing and my son shouted me down as two girls were in the garden saying  get the white dog! i could not believe it, they had climbed my six foot fence! they opened the gate and ran off (without my dogs thank goodness) and yes it was those two girls.
we have since moved house, i dont use those house sighns or have anything on my car,no way!  i called the police and all i got was, sorry it is not an emergency.
i never saw those girls again.

there was reports of men in a white van
acting suspicious around dogs in the notts and perterborough areas on another forum
i,d get the van number if you see it again
and report it to the police

I'd make a point of letting them see you take their reg as well.

I use to walk my dogs about 9pm at night before we went to bed, i walk 3 together just road walking, now these are big dogs not cute fluffy ones, but i had a man approach me and ask lots of questions, how much they cost, have they had puppies, do they guard well i lied in every answer.
I was ill for 2 days so hubby took them out and he went a different way to my usual nightly one, when i was better i was out walking and this man walked straight upto me again and said 'i missed you last 2 days, how's the dogs etc etc' he never once stroked them but still had alot of interest in them for my liking, scarey as i had never seen him bar the once but he obviously saw me so i would say always change your walk, never do the same walk at the same time each day, and never if your dog is easily carried leave her in the garden alone.

Luckily I have never been aproached like this. It must be very scary. I do have very high fencing round my garden (6ft, 7ft in places) and the gates are all padlocked. I too am a little paranoid about theft. OH is a builder and his vehicals are parked up in the back yard at night and they, as well as the yard gates, are allarmed. We have security lighting too so if anything moves in my back yard/garden the place is flooded with light. I always walk with a friend as well and I think with three very large dogs it puts folk off. Merlot will bark at people walking without a dog, but not at other dog walkers and though I don't much like her doing it I do not usually reprimand her as I too am wary of non dog walking strangers on our walks! She never does anything else, just barks sometimes, she must pick up some vibes from them? It would be my worst nightmare to have a dog stolen like that.
Aileen

In the past some family members have had dogs stolen, rewards were offered, had a call to meet someone at point with the money, they never turned up and the dog was never seen again - i was too young to know this dog, but have been told about it.

I've been walking on the beach before when a couple started asking questions, but ones which made me feel uneasy, so had to lie to him in the end, when i walked back to my car i made sure that they weren't following me.
I'm lucky in a way also, my adult Bern barks at people without dogs on remote walks, especially men. My pup, he would go and say hello to anyone.

But do agree if you can get details of the vehicle and descriptions of the males in it, that would be helpful, also accents help a lot.
Speak to other dog owners in the area as well, alert them all and i'm sure they'll keep an eye out too.

Thanks for all the tips. Luckily our garden is well enclosed and there is a motion light outside. I don't have any signs saying I have a dog but maybe I will get some to say she is tattooed and micro chipped etc. The strange thing is that the route we took, they couldn't have followed us home the other night so I am stumped as to how they found us. We walk different ways each time and have not seen them again. Hopefully they realized we saw them and decided it was too risky. We did call the police with what we thought the registration plate was but it wasn't recognized so they couldn't do anything. We are both on the look out though with our camera phones at the ready.
It's awful that it happens. If only vets would microchip scan every new animals that came in there would be more reunions! Does anyone know how you go about getting the identification tattoos?
Thank you everyone

>Does anyone know how you go about getting the identification tattoos?

National Dog Tattoo Register website.

Thank you I have found some places locally and will ring around. I'm surprised how cheap it is, definitely a well worth it investments.